Noon Dreams of a Thousand Mountains, A Shadowed Arrow Through the Window, Part 1

Yun Yao likely never imagined that her fleeting compassion would bring such a colossal trouble back with her.
The first trouble was his appearance.

Before saving the boy demon in Huanfeng City, she’d sensed beneath the bloodstains a strikingly handsome face, with brows like distant green peaks, his elegance undimmed by gore.

But she hadn’t anticipated that elegance could become a calamity.

*Clip, clip, clip…*

Zhuque City, North Gate. The eaves of the city tower were adorned with vibrant phoenix-crowned firebirds, their scales poised as if ready to dive from the ramparts.
Their sharp black eyes fixed on the city wall below—

A beast resembling a steed, its hooves etched with red patterns, passed slowly through the gate carved with firebird motifs.

On its back rode a red-robed woman, a long sword at her waist, golden bells on her wrist. Her fiery red dress blazed, her neck slender beneath a simple wooden hairpin, her features stunningly beautiful.

Such a face was rare even among the Demon Realm’s charm demons, and all eyes along the way should’ve been on her—
If not for the boy leading her beast.

“Is he from the charm demon royalty?”
“No trace of demonic cultivation on him…”
“Not like a charm demon—more like a young lord raised by an immortal sect.”
“A mortal?”
“Impossible, no mortal looks like that.”
“He’s leading a Flame-Treading Zhu Beast with a woman atop—her servant, perhaps?”
“Nonsense, seen a servant like her?”
“…”

Even without extending her divine sense, Yun Yao caught the clamor of gossip and the judgmental glances cast her way as they entered the city.

Her poor Flame-Treading Zhu Beast pawed nervously every few steps.

Halfway through, as the inner city’s traffic thickened, she finally spoke. “Little monster.”

The boy leading the beast turned silently.
His gaze was cold, devoid of ripples, like a snow-capped mountain hidden in a secluded mortal realm.

“Sure you don’t want to wear something,” she gestured at her face, “to cover up?”

“You chose this.”

“True, I like this saintly gentleman style,” she eyed his white robe, half-pleased, half-regretful. “But I didn’t expect *this* effect.”

—When he’d stepped from the shop’s curtain, she’d sensed trouble.
Worse, his peculiar constitution, which let him survive any wound, also nullified the face-veiling spells immortal disciples used in the mortal world.

Under her unmasked scrutiny, the boy demon didn’t bother replying.
The more stoic he was, the more she teased.

“That’s odd to think about.”
Leaning on the beast’s horn, she bent close, inches from his side, tilting her head to his jade-cold profile.

“With such immortal grace, why did Huanfeng City call you a demon?”

“…”

His grip on the reins tightened briefly.
His lips, thin as cherry petals, pursed, then relaxed. He glanced at her, eyes icy as snow. “My fate curses all living things. You shouldn’t have saved me.”

She stared for a moment, then burst into a radiant smile, brighter than sunlight, making him squint as if unable to bear its brilliance.

When he recovered, the red-robed woman had straightened, her smile a thousand zhang away—

“Is that so? Too bad I don’t believe in divinations or fate.”

He turned stubbornly. “You’ll regret it.”

“I’ve had too many painful, regretless deeds in my life. Only one with regret,” she smiled, gazing down at him. “If you manage another, I’ll give you credit.”

“…”

Her pride rivaled frost and snow.
After a few breaths, he turned back wordlessly.

An incense stick later, Zhuque City’s North District, Moon-Inviting Tower.

The city’s grandest tavern buzzed with song and dance, a chaotic mix of demons, monsters, and rare humans weaving through, their clamor headache-inducing amid decadent music.

On the second floor’s private seat, overlooking the dance, Yun Yao lounged against the railing, watching charm demon dancers twirl on the stage, her gaze occasionally sweeping the room.
After a while, a ripple stirred in her bored eyes.

“Little monster,” she turned, smirking at the boy sitting calmly across the low table, “look northwest. Aren’t they staring at you?”

“…”

Since entering with her, eyes hadn’t left him. His white robe’s refined aura deterred trouble, or Yun Yao guessed someone would’ve provoked him already.

He lifted his lashes as she said.

—Unlike admiring or covetous gazes, those eyes held cruel, murderous intent.

Yun Yao watched closely. The boy’s shoulders tensed, a faint ripple in his expression, but nothing more.
He lowered his gaze. “I warned you, Zhuque City isn’t safe to linger in.”

“Why? Enemies here?”

“I’ve never provoked anyone,” his voice was flat. “Everyone who knows me just wants me dead.”

Her smile shifted, but before she could press, the watcher stood—a horned demon, his massive arms hefting twin meteor hammers, striding toward them with a bloodthirsty grin, each step shaking the floor.

Simultaneously, their seat was surrounded by demons appearing from nowhere.

The tavern’s music softened.

The towering demon stopped, his hammers smashing the floor, cracking stone. His gaze slid to Yun Yao, baring sharp, chilling teeth. “Bold, huh? Snatched someone from Huanfeng City, didn’t hide, and came to Zhuque City to die?”

She tilted her head, pointing at herself with berry-stained fingers. “Talking to me?”

His grin grew colder. “Who else?”

“Oh.” She turned, waving. “Waiter, yes, you—come here. Someone’s causing trouble, smashing things. You handling this?”

The waiter trembled under the demon’s gaze, speechless.

The demon sneered. “Thought you had guts, but scared already? No matter, I’m merciful today—cripple that demon beside you, break his tendons, leave him, and I’ll let you walk out the gate alive.”

“…Guess they don’t care about smashing.”
Her tone was regretful, but her eyes gleamed. “Good, I’m broke, can’t pay for damages.”

“?”

As her words fell, a sharp sword cry tore through the tavern’s music.

A blinding silver arc flashed, circling the room in an instant, returning to its sheath.

The crowd gaped, unaware of what happened.

Next moment—

*Boom—!*

The demon’s massive body crashed down.
His cruel grin remained, but his瞪 eyes were lifeless, his sharp teeth stained purple-black by gushing blood.

The tavern fell silent.

Yun Yao wiped berry juice from her fingers, lifting her gaze slowly. “Grandpa’s mercy, I can’t repay, so I’ll note it for his next life.”

The tavern erupted.
“Aaaaah—”
“Lord Left Envoy of Zhuque Guard is dead!!”
“Quick! Report to the City Lord’s Mansion!”
“Someone, help…”

A teacup’s time later, the boy demon led the startled Zhu Beast from under the tavern’s awning. Behind, a stench wafted—likely from the dead demons inside, scaring the tethered beasts to soil themselves.

The culprit, frowning, tidied her blood-stained red skirt in a shaded alley corner.

“Ugh.”
She tore off the stained hem, tossing it. “Demon blood stinks.”

He stopped beside her. “Too many want me dead. You’ll tire yourself out killing them.”

She glanced back.
Whether from the dazzling sunlight or something else, she sensed a new emotion in his gaze toward her.
But when she looked closer, it was gone.

Unfazed, she mounted the beast. “That’s great.”

“?”
He looked up, rare curiosity in his eyes.

“Guess why I’m in the Demon Realm?”

He seemed unbothered by her “coming,” pondering. “Killing?”
Hence saving him and parading through Zhuque City to make her presence known.

“No, to collect a body.”

Sunlight blazed, but her words chilled the air, almost suffocating.

“A pitiful man, losing his master, senior brothers, sisters, and juniors over two centuries—his entire sect dead, leaving only a junior sister.”
“Ten days ago, he died at Two Realms Mountain, his body brought to the Demon Realm.”
“I’m the only one left to collect him.”

“…”

Emotion stirred in his eyes. After a moment, he turned back.

The woman on the beast resumed her lazy smile, beaming at him radiantly. “—Should I have come?”
Her eyes betrayed unbearable grief.

He sighed lightly, turning away.

A sect annihilated, one survivor.

“So you came to die.”

—

Days after leaving Moon-Inviting Tower, Yun Yao realized the little monster was right—those wanting him dead were a plague, wave after wave, inexhaustible.

Even with *Naihe* slaying three thousand demons, she hadn’t ascended to immortality. In the Demon Realm, alone like a drop in the ocean, her strength waned.
Over days, she took wounds, none light.

This was the second trouble after saving him.

She hadn’t expected a third—

On the fifth day after leaving Zhuque City, before nightfall, she found a cave to rest. For the first time since their meeting, the boy made a request.

“Imprisonment, array?” Her expression turned odd.

“Artifacts or treasures work too,” he said calmly, standing with a grace surpassing any immortal disciple she’d seen.

“I have those… but who’s it for?”

“Me.”

A mix of surprise and familiarity hit her, recalling a similar talk when she saved him five days ago.

Leaning against the cave’s wall, sitting with one knee up, she chuckled, a wine gourd dangling from her hand. “What, turning into a man-eating beast tonight?”

He shook his head. “Demon form.”

His serious tone and gaze made her laughter fade. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head, studying him.
“Your demon form… harms people?”

“It spares no good or evil, no living being.”

He spoke slowly, then looked up.

It was the first time Yun Yao saw Mu Hanyuan smile. Barely noticeable, just a slight curve of his lips, but with that face, even a demon could ensnare souls.
He gazed at her calmly. “There’s still time. Want to kill me?”

“…”

The spinning wine gourd flew from her hand, crashing to the ground.
The thud snapped her back.

Her first lapse before him, triggered by a memory—a rumored heavenly prophecy:

[*The demon seed brings calamity, Qianyuan will fall.*]

She didn’t believe in divinations because the only seer she’d trusted was dead, his final prophecy bought with his life.
Could it be this boy?

Recovering, her laughter grew wilder. She summoned the gourd back, tilting her head with a flirtatious grin, as if taunting fate. “You’ve never smiled like that at anyone.”

“…”

He restrained his smile.

Her laughter rang louder, filling the valley with sunlight and mirth. “Pity, really. With that face, one smile could topple nations. They’d fight to claim you—how’d I get the chance to save you?”

“…”

He seemed annoyed, though subtly. Turning sharply, he strode into the cave, ignoring her crude words.

Night fell.

Yun Yao scouted the mountain, hunted game, and gathered dry wood for warmth—unnecessary for her in the Unity Realm, but for the frail-looking boy.
Entering the cave, her face changed.

Darkness blanketed the cave, only her pre-set barrier glowing faintly.

Within layers of barriers, the boy, fine when she left, was now blood-soaked, his white robe red. Countless immortal-binding chains bound him, the thickest piercing his chest and collarbones, pinning him through bloodied flesh.
He knelt, head bowed, life uncertain.
Behind, black-gold chains etched with array runes trailed to the cave wall, anchored by runed spikes.

Her face darkened, the wood falling from her hands. *Naihe*’s light flared from her palm—

“Who did this?”

As she raised her sword to slash the barrier, the boy lifted his face from the cave’s depths.

“…Don’t move.” His voice was hoarse. “Don’t come in. Ignore anything you hear.”

“…”

She halted before the barrier.

If the light were clearer, it might reflect her complex expression.
After the initial fury, she realized—

The barrier was intact, and the chains were what he’d asked for before she left.

—He’d bound himself.

After a long pause, her tense shoulders relaxed, *Naihe*’s light fading.
Leaning against the rock wall, her voice grew lazy. “I thought I’d seen the fiercest figures in the immortal realm. Today, I’m humbled—a kid so ruthless to himself. You’re a first.”

“Since you’ve seen…” His voice weakened in the pooling blood, “can you leave?”

“Why? My cave, my wood, my game—why can’t I stay?”

She stepped closer, inches from the barrier, smiling at the blood-drenched boy, her brow creasing with real emotion. “Plus, I’m curious—what’s this ‘demon form’ that needs such a setup?”

“…”

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his pale forehead. “Leave.”

“No.”

“Get… out!”

She nearly laughed—near death, in unbearable pain, yet he couldn’t even curse properly.

Before the barrier, she knelt, meeting his eyes through the golden light. “Forgot? Even your life’s mine now. You can’t stop me.”

“…”

Inside, he closed his eyes.

…Fine.

His bloodied lips curved unconsciously, a bitter, mocking thought rising.
Once she saw, she’d leave.

Over a decade of daily torment, some had pitied him. But after seeing his demon form, their warmth and compassion turned to disgust, fear, or murderous intent.

He was a demon a thousand times worse than the cruelest fiends, the world’s sole unforgivable anomaly.
He’d learned this through countless deaths.

…

Midnight, the moon at its zenith.

Fuling Mountain was silent, not even insects chirping.

An hour ago, all creatures—beasts, birds, strong, weak—fled in terror, as if struck by a heavenly calamity, emptying the mountain in less than an incense stick’s time.

Only the cave remained.

A splash of thick blood hit the barrier before Yun Yao.
Without it, she’d be drenched—

The translucent curtain was nearly coated in blood, a hellish scene just beyond.

She was certain anything alive inside before nightfall—even her, in the Unity Realm—would now be a smear or shred in the blood and flesh.

Imagining that death, she pinched her brow guiltily.

She wanted to die, but not like *that*.

Truly a demon form.
His unleashed state was indeed “demonic.”

*Roar—!!*

Lost in thought, *Naihe* appeared unbidden, hovering before her, trembling urgently, its edge aimed at the barrier.

She looked up.

Through layers of blood, old and new, she met a blood-splattered face inches from the barrier.

Its sharp, youthful contours were the same, not long ago gazing at her with clear, aloof eyes.

Now, it was a demon to terrify most mortals.

His gaze, filled with savage malice, was horrifying.

She knew—
Without the runed chains piercing his collarbones and organs, these barriers couldn’t hold him.

Even so, the mountain trembled under his writhing, heedless of the gore, as if it might collapse.

She knew she should leave, let this demon wreak havoc. This was the Demon Realm; pursuers drawn by the spiritual surge were no saints. Let them perish with Mu Jiutian—perfect.

Thinking so, she recalled *Naihe* and turned.

Behind, the boy’s last shred of clarity wavered in his demonic eyes, teetering into the blood-dark abyss.

Voices whispered, as they had every demonic night for years.

*Give up…*
*Your pain only proves your folly…*
*Haven’t you realized? No one truly accepts, pities, or stands with you…*
*No one wants you alive…*
*What are you clinging to? Submit… this is your fate…*
*Embrace this power…*
*All who defy you will die.*

Inside the barrier, he sank to the ground.
His bloodied fingers dug into the rock, ignoring the sound of flesh tearing, bones snapping.
Unbearable pain dragged him toward the abyss, where countless ghosts wailed and laughed.

In his vision, her red robe was a fading blur in the cave’s night, about to vanish.
He shouldn’t care.
Why did he?

He closed his heavy eyelids, ready to sink into the abyss.

In the final moment of clarity, a faint, gentle melody reached him, like an illusion.
It pierced the barrier, brushed through the blood, and fell upon him.

He opened his eyes.

Before the cave, Yun Yao, frowning slightly, held a leaf to her lips, clumsily playing an immortal realm’s soul-soothing tune.